Music recommendations? (Asking about a specific band.)

[cupcake_goth]

Look, everyone knows I have a tragic weakness for bombast. This is not a secret. Give me power chords and overwrought lyrics with gothy clichés^* and I will be gleeful.

With that disclaimer out of the way: One of the munchkins over on the Emilie Autumn forum asked me if I had ever heard the song "Jillian" by Within Temptation. Er, no? I said, but checked it out on iTunes. I liked it enough to investigate more by the band. Do any of you listen to them? Or have suggestions for bands like them?




^*Bands I would list in the "Bombast!" category include the Sisters Of Mercy, Queensryche (especially the Rage For Order album), HIM (yes, I own a lot of music by them, and grin whenever I listen to any of it), and Autumn Tears. My Chemical Romance would almost be placed in the "Bombast!" category (especially The Black Parade), but are a little too ... punk-influenced to be strictly Bombast kids.

Comments

[a-lovesuicide.livejournal.com]

I really like Within Temptation (my favorite album of theirs is The Heart of Everything), but then I have friends that absolutely despise them. And I'm not really sure about other bands like them, as I'm not quite music savvy in that genre. XD

[angelinglass.livejournal.com]

Thank the gods you listen to HIM. Everyone should. XD

[gaaneden.livejournal.com]

I adore "Within Temptation" - I have two of their CDs in my car on permanent rotation. Love them. They are beautifully bombastic. Especially "What have you done?"

[gaaneden.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. "Kamelot" is bombastic, too. Especially their "Ghost Opera" CD.

[aka-paloma.livejournal.com]

As soon as I saw your request for bombast in the gothy realm, I immediately thought of Within Temptation even before I got to that part of your entry. I quite enjoyed their The Heart of Everything album. Lots of bombast, power chords, and gothy cliches to be found here, not to mention chorals, sweeping orchestral bits, and some Latin thrown in for good measure. IT'S SERIOUSLY EPIC. And the singer's voice is lovely, too.

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

Really, how could I not? It's almost like they were grown in a lab to appeal to my need for bombast. Plus Ville is very, very pretty in the video for "Join Me In Death", and I'm occasionally shallow like that. ;)

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

So I should just give in and purchase it? So far I like everything I've heard by them off of Pandora ...

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I've heard a few Within Temptation tracks, and I'd say they'd fit into your Bombast category. Full disclosure: I went to a show where they were headlining and bailed out after the opening band, because we'd really come to see the opener (The Dear & Departed) and it was a work night and a two-hour drive. I'd compare the tracks I've heard to Evanescence, but maybe with more writing talent. Maybe also a little bit like Lacuna Coil.

None of these are my main listening niche. I don't turn them off when I hear them, but I don't seek them out. Whereas Sisters of Mercy and MCR? I'll drive several hours if necessary and you'll find me pressed right up against the stage and I'll buy the merch and I'll be on a high for days after.

I saw HIM at Projekt Revolution a couple of years ago (we went for MCR, natch) and my reaction was "you know, if I were 13, I'd eat this up with a spoon, because they remind me of Def Leppard." And Pyromania is still one of my guilty pleasures. Is Def Leppard "Bombast!" or too light?

And where does Muse fall in this? I have a hard time deciding whether I like Muse; the fuzzed-out bass lines make me gleeful, and the bombast overall is nice, but the singer does a THING with his voice that drives me up a WALL, but it only shows up once in a while.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I love Lacuna Coil, who have a similar sound. I recommend "Heir of a Dying Day," "Swamped," "Halflife," and "Our Truth."

There is also Evanescence, of course, whom I also love. Favorites include "Bring Me to Life," "Call Me When You're Sober," "Sweet Sacrifice," "Going Under," and "Tourniquet."

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

I am STILL kicking myself that I wasn't able to go to the Project Rev date in Seattle. HIM, Placebo, AND MCR! Accursed work deadlines keeping me from good concerts.

I know what you mean about HIM appealing to one's inner mopey teen; I think that's part of the reason I like them. My inner teen is not very inner at times.

I will travel to see MCR, but I flat-out refuse to go see SoM any more. I've seen two dreadful shows by them in a row, and that was enough punishment for me.
I've not heard anything by Muse, actually. Not that I know of.

[aka-paloma.livejournal.com]

Well, if you like what you've heard so far, I'd say go for it if you've got the cash to spare. I like The Silent Force (the one on which 'Jillian' appears), but I love The Heart of Everything--I'm partial to the tracks 'The Howling', 'What Have You Done', and 'The Cross'.

Now I must go investigate HIM. I'm desperate for new gothy music to add to my iTunes.

[marc17.livejournal.com]

Haven't heard of Within Temptation, but for cliche gothic music about vampires, have you listened to the Demonkiss CD by Blutengel?

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

I have not! Why do I have this dim memory of Blutengel being more on the tweedly-beep oontz EBM side of things? Is this a silly misconception I've picked up somewhere?

[nebulasan.livejournal.com]

Within Temptation is really good and I would pick up The Silence Force, The Heart of Everything and Mother Earth. As for bands like them, the only ones that come into my head are Lacuna Coil, Evanescence and Nightwish.

[jadegirl.livejournal.com]

I'm quite fond of symphonic/gothic metal, although it seems I lose 'cool points' by admitting it! :)

Nightwish, Kamelot, Epica, After Forever, Delain's Lucidity album.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry your SoM shows weren't good! The one I saw (November '08) was fantastic. AND I got a setlist (fansquee!).

Muse was opening for MCR on part of the Black Parade tour (although I had Rise Against at my dates) and they also played the Bamboozle that year with MCR, which is where I heard them. It's a little hard to avoid "Uprising" right now if you listen to terrestrial radio. I know they're on the Twilight soundtrack!

[aka-paloma.livejournal.com]

I've not heard anything by Muse, actually. Not that I know of.

You've seen Twilight so you have. They used one of their songs during the vampire baseball scene. Possibly other scenes as well--Meyer is a big fan, apparently.

[elfstar18.livejournal.com]

Do you like any visual kei stuff from Japan? It seems like a natural fit with your aesthetic sense.

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

Pfft, "cool points". Listen to what you like!

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

I like Malice Mizer, but I haven't really listened to anything else. Partially because I get into a lot of music via the lyrics. Since I don't speak Japanese, that's a barrier to a lot of the visual kei music for me.

[marc17.livejournal.com]

Nope. They are tweedly-beep oontz, but they are also "oh so over the top into the gothic vampire thing" as only the Germans or Japanese could be.

Quality of the music and video isn't very good but:

[pope-guilty.livejournal.com]

I thought I read somewhere that Muse seriously don't like her, but I could be thinking of the other celebrity Muse fan, Glenn Beck.

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

I ... have hysterical memory loss for anything associated with the Twilight movie? Besides, I think I was too busy trying not to cackle out loud during the vampire baseball scene to pay attention to the music.

[pope-guilty.livejournal.com]

Blutengel could not love the dramatic and bombastic more:

[marc17.livejournal.com]

Ha, Chris Pohl. Have to love that guy. I remember at Treffen I was getting breakfast at the Renaissance where they also put all the bands. I had a hangover and was getting orange juice while listening to him and the guy from Faith and Disease (IIRC) have a serious discussion on "What is Goth." (Yes, pretty sure goth was capitalized and it was a period not a question mark at the end.)